Arcade operator apologises over copyright infringement in SG60 carnival games due to 'lapse in due diligence'

A local arcade operator has apologised over a copyright infringement issue after two of its SG60 carnival games were found to have used artwork directly from homegrown board games "Kopi King" and "Chope!", without permission.

Homegrown board game firm Origame called out two carnival games by fellow local company The Arcade People in a Facebook post on Jul. 28, saying that their artwork had been allegedly ripped off from Origame's products.

Alleged that their artwork got 'ripped off'

One such carnival game, Kopitiam Hero, was spotted at City Square Mall to celebrate Singapore's 60th birthday, Origame said.

Based on the pictures, Kopitiam Hero used similar designs for its drinks as "Kopi King", and also sports the same "Sejak 1965" tagline.

Origame wrote that while the motive of celebrating culture is commendable, it was ironic that the artwork and brand identity of "Kopi King" that they spent months developing, was "lifted wholesale for a carnival game".

Origame further called out The Arcade People for copying its tissue packet design from their game "Chope!" for a separate carnival game.

Origame, which was founded in 2019, is known for its games celebrating local hawker culture.

"Kopi King", a game that involves "snatching" ingredient cards to create local hawker drinks, is Origame's bestseller with over 30,000 copies sold, the company said.

"Chope!" on the other hand, involves players ordering food and reserving tables with cards.

Origame co-founder and producer Nicholas Pang told CNA that his company sent a notice of copyright infringement to The Arcade People on Jul. 29.

Operator apologises for 'lapse in due diligence'

In a statement on its Facebook page on Jul. 29, The Arcade People apologised for the use of the artwork from "Kopi King" and "Chope!" without permission, attributing it to a "lapse in due diligence on our part".

The operator also admitted that the Kopitiam Hero design closely imitates the logo of "Kopi King" in terms of font, style and colour.

"These elements were wrongly used without permission and were taken from Origame's website. The use of Origame's artwork and the imitation of their design elements happened because proper checks and approvals were not in place", said The Arcade People.

The Arcade People said they "take full and unequivocal responsibility for this failure" and have reached out to Origame to personally express their apologies.

The operator also said they are implementing stronger internal processes to ensure all visual assets used in their projects are properly sourced, licensed and credited.

The operator has suspended the infringing games from all rentals and public use until the artwork is replaced, CNA reported.

It will also remove and destroy all materials and props associated with the infringing games.

Top image from Origame/Facebook